Gunmetal Powder: The Alchemy of Pain
A strange dream left me with an impossible prescription: gunmetal powder. What began as a surreal image became a meditation on alchemy, healing, and the ways pain can be transformed without denying what happened. This essay explores how wounds, grief, heartbreak, and loss can change form until what once had the power to injure us becomes wisdom, medicine, and meaning.
Falling Forward: Embracing Vulnerability and Strength
As we started our downhill trek along the rocky path, I was entranced by the beautiful scenery around me. The rock formations in the canyon, the valley where grass was just beginning to turn green for spring—it all felt so alive. I was walking my dog, pausing occasionally for him to investigate curious scents along the trail. Admittedly, I wasn’t paying much attention to the path ahead. I was chatting and enjoying the peacefulness of the morning. I did notice the branch sticking out, but I dismissed it as a mere weed or broken stick.
I was wrong.